Mary Ellen's Story

In naming our Society, we honour Mary Ellen Wilson who was a little girl rescued from abuse by Etta Wheeler and Henry Bergh, the founder of the American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Following investigation, Bergh obtained a court order to remove Mary Ellen from her abusive home on April 9, 1874. As no services for abused children existed, the next year, Bergh co-founded the first Child Protection agency in the US. In 1888, An Act for the Protection and Reformation of Neglected Children followed in Canada. We also honour the link between the protection and healing of traumatized animals and children. For the complete story of Mary Ellen, we recommend the book: The Mary Ellen Wilson Child Abuse Case and the Beginning of Children's Rights in 19th Century America by Eric A. Shelman & Stephen Lazoritz, M.A.